


Stones in Rain

by quercus



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-12-15
Updated: 2001-12-15
Packaged: 2017-10-05 12:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quercus/pseuds/quercus





	Stones in Rain

"God, it's beautiful here," Daniel said, and Jack had to agree. A clear sunny day, a light breeze, sky the color of a Minnesota lake, temperature in the fifties -- it couldn't be more perfect. He sighed happily as he glanced around. His team was through the gate, the event horizon winked out, and no unfriendlies were dashing up to do them an injury.

Beautiful was the right word.

"Okay, kids; where're we going?"

Teal'c struck out at about eleven o'clock from the gate, heading into the trees as if he knew where he was going, which he undoubtedly did. Carter followed, then Daniel, and finally Jack, his P90 cradled lovingly even though the UAV and later the MALP hadn't shown any sentient life.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at Jack and gave him a brief smile; flirtatious, was how Jack considered his smile and was hard-pressed not to smile back pretty flirtatiously himself. Still, they were off-world with unknown situations ahead of them, so he kept his pleasure and amusement to himself.

Despite his question, Jack knew where they were going. It was the usual assignment: find any mineral deposits, determine if there was any technology that might be useful, locate any hint of Goa'uld occupation. But no day off-world was routine, no matter how often they stepped through the gate, and so he kept his eyes and ears open as they followed Teal'c through the forest. It was about a three mile hike ahead of them, and he planned to enjoy every step.

The trees were exceptionally tall and thick; they looked like evergreens, but they smelled like bay laurel, sweet and fresh. He breathed deeply, enjoying the fresh air, so different from the recycled stuff deep in Cheyenne Mountain. Yeah, it was beautiful here; Daniel was right.

They crested a small hill and looked down into a long shallow view of more trees. Off to their left, Jack caught a silvery glint of what was probably a lake, and he wondered idly about fish. Birds sang overhead, cheerfully announcing their hidden presences, and occasionally he saw a flash of blue or red that might be their little bodies flitting between tree branches.

After only a brief pause, Teal'c led them on. Carter held a map in her hand, but probably didn't need it any more than Teal'c did. Their footsteps were deeply muffled by the thick layer of crushed needles they trod, the bay-laurel scent rising as they disturbed its mulch. In near silence, they walked on.

Jack loved missions like this. He trusted his team to rise to any occasion, but was always happy when they weren't called to. The universe owed them a few calm outings; maybe this would be one. He could hope, but refused to expect; better to be a surprised pessimist than a disappointed optimist.

And he loved his team. So much. Teal'c, whom he'd trusted on instinct and had never been disappointed in. A brother to Jack, someone he respected and depended on.

Carter. Smart as a whip and as pretty as one of the wildflowers growing along their trail on this pretty planet. Another warrior, another pilot, and someone else he trusted and depended on. He watched her confer briefly with Teal'c while she kept an eye on their surroundings and smiled comfortingly at Daniel as they wound their way through yet another forest on yet another world.

And Daniel himself. The social scientist grown into a soldier of sorts. Jack wasn't sure what he felt for Daniel. Sometimes they argued like ten-year-olds; sometimes they read each other's minds so easily it frightened him. They were connected, he knew, although he didn't know how, and he certainly didn't know why. But his feelings for Daniel lived very near the surface, erupting at awkward and inappropriate times, whether snapping at him or hugging him fiercely.

Like Carter, he kept an eye on Daniel. His friend.

After a mile or so, Daniel fell back so they walked together, shoulders bumping companionably as they wove their way through the thickening forest. "How ya doing?" he asked, and Daniel smiled at him again.

"Well. Really well. This is one of the nicest places we've visited."

"Yeah, it is. Reminds me of home, actually."

Daniel gave him a rare full-bore smile. "Abydos reminded me of home. Of Egypt. Must've been a shock for you."

"Well, I've spent a fair amount of my life in deserts. Doesn't mean I like them, though. Although Abydos had its moments."

"Yes. Yes, it did," Daniel agreed. "But you're right. This is very nice. If your home was like this, I envy you."

Jack wondered, as he had so many times, about Daniel's early life. He tried to imagine him as a child. With fair hair and angelic features, Jack had no doubt, and enormous, trusting blue eyes that gazed out onto a world that didn't deserve that trust. But he couldn't ask; there wasn't anyone left to ask, and Daniel wouldn't be able to answer with any degree of accuracy.

So Jack only put his hand on Daniel's elbow, as if to guide him between two trees that had grown together as they aged, their roots rising from the soil and intertwining. "Don't trip," he murmured, and followed Daniel through the gap.

The site of the possible naquadah was nestled in a glade, a stream brightly cutting through it, falling out of a small cave-like opening, broadening into a pond, and then winding downhill. "An underground river," Carter pointed out as she knelt at the water's edge and began to take water samples. "Please don't contaminate the water, sir," she told Jack, discerning his desire to dunk his head in it.

He obediently stepped back and watched for a moment, and then started walking the perimeter. No matter how idyllic the setting, he needed to do his business: keep his team safe.

He moved downstream of Carter and Teal'c and then carefully stepped across the stream, hopscotching across from rock to wobbly rock until he could jump to the other side. There the land began to gently climb. He hiked a few yards and turned to watch his team.

Teal'c stood behind Carter, her map now in his hand, and watched her label the container of water. She rose and they put their heads together, deciding where to begin. Daniel stood a little behind them, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. Jack watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed in the delicious air. Slightly higher in oxygen content that earth's, he remembered Carter saying at the briefing, and he believed it; he felt vigorous and invigorated. Then Daniel opened his eyes and saw Jack watching him; he smiled and waved his hand. Jack, feeling silly, waved back. Smiling to himself and shaking his head, he thought: I didn't used to wave at my teammates on missions.

He continued walking the perimeter, alert but finding nothing. On the hill above the water, he saw that the forest opened up into a kind of grass-lined avenue or greenway, and he wondered where it led, if it were natural or artificial. Perhaps the remains of an ancient road. Curious, he knelt to push aside the soft grass, but he found no stones or asphalt beneath it. He should have Daniel investigate.

He stood again, brushing off his hands, and stared down the avenue. The sun, a bit cooler than earth's, Carter had said, was nearly directly above him and the trees cast little shadow, so the avenue glittered in its glow. He felt a powerful longing to see where the greenway led, but after another moment turned back to his task. Maybe if they had time, if Carter could come up with some scientific reason why they should.

He picked his way back down to the pond, which Teal'c and Carter appeared to be happily contaminating now that they'd sampled the water. He almost said they were playing in the mud, but that was unkind and besides, he didn't want to break the silence. He stood next to Daniel, watching them for a while, and then nudged Daniel's shoulder with his own, pointing with his chin. Daniel followed him, and he again began walking the perimeter, this time with Daniel as company.

"I feel as though we should whisper," Daniel whispered once they'd crossed the little stream, and Jack nodded. He understood the impulse; it was one he'd often had while camping out as a young man. More holy than church, he'd thought, usually while rebelliously sitting in church, and he thought so still, so many years later.

"What do you think this is?" he finally asked when they'd reached the avenue above the pond. Daniel stood for a long time looking down it; Jack thought he could hear Daniel's brain humming, cross-referencing what he was seeing, no doubt, with a few thousand years of human history. He, too, knelt, and brushed at the grass, digging into it with his fingers and finally pulling out a knife and stabbing it into the soil, cutting a neat square.

"I think it's natural," he said at last. "Maybe water flowed through here once. Maybe the underground river was at surface level and cut this, but time and tectonics changed the landscape." Jack thought that made sense. He didn't know if he was relieved or saddened that something so beautiful had been naturally made and never enjoyed by sentient beings. He thought he'd like people who could build this.

"So no people," was all he said, and Daniel sighed.

"Can't tell," he said, and stood, wiping the blade of his knife before folding and pocketing it. "Would we have time to walk for a ways?"

"Depends on Carter and Teal'c." But I hope so, Jack thought, staring longingly down it.

At last they returned to watch their teammates. Daniel started a small fire and put a kettle on for tea, to make their lunch more palatable. It was a small thing, but it always charmed Jack, and he helped gather fallen dry wood and what looked like pine cones. Their seeds turned out to pop like popcorn in the fire, which set all four teammates laughing, even Teal'c, observing from his position by the water.

"We should try the popped seeds," Daniel suggested, poking at the fire.

"Not on my watch," Jack told him firmly, envisioning food poisoning or worse. When Daniel opened his mouth to object, Jack gave him a look and he shut it, smiling. Then the kettle began to vibrate, and he pulled it off to start the tea steeping. Teal'c and Sam settled around the fire, pulling out their own rations. "How much longer?" Jack asked as he watched them.

Carter looked at Teal'c as she answered, "No more than an hour."

"Major Carter is correct. The samples are easily located. This is a very amenable site."

"Suitable," Carter said, but Jack had known what Teal'c meant. It was a very amenable site.

"Can we follow that path, Jack?"

"What path, sir?"

"Up the hill, above the pond." Jack gestured with his aluminum mug. "Real interesting geographical feature. Yeah, I think we can, Daniel. Once Carter and Teal'c are finished."

"Good. I feel like a fifth wheel on this assignment."

"You are one of four, Daniel Jackson."

"Metaphor," Daniel, Jack, and Carter said.

Their lunch didn't take long, and Teal'c and Carter went back to work, leaving Jack and Daniel to clean up after themselves. Jack was happy to do it; that would give them more time to make the walk. He packed up all their trash and trampled the fire down, kicking the stones and small logs aside. He didn't want to leave much trace of SG-1 behind in such a pristine place.

At last Carter raised a vial above her head. "Last one!" she called gaily, and Jack had to smile to himself. She didn't sound like a scientist or soldier at all just then.

"Good!" Daniel called back; he was above them, hands on his knees as he bent over to watch them work around the pond. He and Jack had made their circuit twice more; the second time, he'd stayed up there.

By the time Teal'c and Carter were completely finished, the sun had slid to Jack's right and shadows were beginning to creep across the grass-lined alleyway. "Oh, this is beautiful," Carter said softly as she stood staring down it, and Teal'c nodded.

"This is a lovely world," he announced solemnly. Without another word, the four began walking. Jack kept a sharp eye out, peering into the forest that lined the avenue, but as always he saw and heard nothing but the brightly-colored, sweetly-singing bird-like creatures.

He walked next to Daniel, as if walking down a deserted city street. Teal' c and Carter were a few yards ahead of them, also looking around them as they advanced, their soft voices occasionally drifting back to Jack's ears.

"Still think this is natural?" he asked Daniel, mostly for something to say.

"Yes, I do. Extraordinary, but I see no signs of construction."

Jack glanced at his chronometer. "Well, we can spend another two hours here, but then we'll have to turn back. Either to check in or, if we find something, to get permission to stay."

Daniel nodded, but didn't reply.

They walked on for some time. Jack felt as though he were soaking in the quiet. He dreaded returning to the hollow noise and false air of the mountain, and was determined to enjoy his time here as long and as much as possible.

And he was happy to be with his team in such a beautiful, quiet place. He felt his muscles relax, as if his body were resetting itself to the pace of their environment. Daniel, too, he could see, was succumbing to the tranquility; the furrow between his strong eyebrows, the barometer by which Jack judged the level of Daniel's distress, was nearly invisible. Jack smiled to himself and took another deep breath of the winey air.

The afternoon moved on and the shadows lengthened, falling across their faces now. Jack thought the trees were spaced even more closely together, and more regularly. "Are you sure this isn't man-made?" he asked again, pausing to stare.

Daniel paused, too, and then walked to the edge of the forest, resting one hand on an especially wide tree trunk. He was a pale glimmer against the darkness of the forest, and Jack made a sudden movement, stopping himself from rushing to Daniel's side.

"What do you see, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c called as he and Carter retraced their steps back to where Jack stood.

Daniel didn't answer for nearly a minute, then turned to look at his teammates, shaking his head. "Nothing," he said.

Jack stared at him, standing alone at the forest's edge. He wondered, not for the first time, what Daniel wanted, and wished he could give it to him. Then he sighed. "Time to go back," he announced, and watched Daniel reluctantly walk back to them.

"Just a little further," he asked. Jack felt a rush of poignant memory, of Charlie asking for more time to play, just a little longer, Dad, and smiled.

"Just a little longer."

So they walked on again, just a little longer, silent in their companionship. Then Teal'c stopped, and Jack followed his intense gaze. The earth was dug up, he saw, churned and muddy. For the first time, something marred the perfect lawn.

Daniel went forward, carefully not stepping in the clayey soil revealed by the torn up grass. He paused, and then said, "Teal'c? Would you look at this?" Teal'c stood next to him, and they both stared down, then looked around them.

Jack realized that small sharp stones lay in a rough semi-circle around the muddy spot, and mud trailed into the woods. Teal'c knelt, one knee pressing into the grass, and bent low, to study the ground better. At last he twisted back. "O'Neill. Someone was ambushed here. Attacked and injured."

Jack glanced at Carter, and the two of them carefully made their way to stand just behind Teal'c and Daniel. "Do you see? One man stood here," and Teal'c pointed to a slight depression in the grass, "but was brought down there. Something surprised him, brought him down with those stones." Jack realized that the rocks were shaped into saw-toothed weapons, and each wore smudges of what must be blood.

"They kill him?"

"I do not believe so. I believe he succeeded in fighting them off, and then dragged himself into the woods."

"When?"

Teal'c rose. "This morning."

"They'll get him tonight," Daniel said confidently, and then looked at Jack, flushing. "I think. We need to go after him."

Jack stood silently, weighing his options. Teal'c was an extraordinary tracker; he knew that, after their years together. He'd seen him extract nearly impossible information from nearly invisible clues. They had achieved their primary mission: to seek out sources of alternate energies. But another, equally important goal was to learn which planets had been infiltrated by the Goa'uld.

And, perhaps, to locate an individual who needed assistance.

Jack had been left behind once, deserted by those who should have brought him home. He knew this resulted in his determination that no one would ever be left behind if he had a say in it. And he had a say here.

But he didn't know who this injured party was. A Goa'uld? A human stolen from earth to be chattel for the Goa'uld? An outcast member of some unknown community? Did he, personally or professionally, have an obligation to assist this person?

Then he looked at Daniel, who was staring at him trustingly, yearningly, biting his lip. Carter stood impassively, one hand resting on her P90. He knew she would follow whatever order he gave; her face did not reveal her preference. Teal'c, too, stood quietly, waiting orders. However, he gazed into the woods, and Jack knew that he, like Daniel, wanted to follow the trail.

He sighed again. "Let's go. Keep sharp. We don't know who or what we're up against."

Teal'c nodded, and stepped carefully around the mud. Without a glance backward, he entered the forest, nearly disappearing into the dark. Carter followed him, her blonde curls dimming abruptly. Daniel looked at Jack. "Thank you," he whispered, and then followed Carter. Jack shook his head, wondering if he'd made the right decision, but then moved on. Too late to second-guess himself.

The difference in temperature between the sunlit avenue and the cool, dark forest was surprising, and the scent of bay laurel rose powerfully around Jack. He inhaled deeply, and glanced back at the light they were leaving behind. Then he focused all his attention on their search. For a while, he could follow the trail nearly as well as Teal'c: broken branches, turned up soil, grass smashed flat.

But evening came on quickly in the forest. Teal'c refused to let them use their flashlights long past the time Jack could see any kind of trail, and Daniel was stumbling over roots and grassy mounds. Jack finally took him literally in hand, holding his upper arm firmly, but eventually he had to stop as well. "Teal'c," he said. He saw Teal'c's eyes gleam in the dark.

"Look here, O'Neill," he said, and Daniel, Jack, and Carter crowded near, looking down where Teal'c stood. He flicked on his flashlight. "Blood," he said unnecessarily.

Almost instantly, Jack heard something. He saw the other three raise their heads, Daniel's eyes wide behind his glasses. A subtle sound; nothing like the crack of a stepped-on branch. Soft. A small movement. Or many small movements. Around them.

"They can see us," Daniel whispered, and Jack knew it was true. The light had led whatever it was to them. Whatever it was.

He nodded to Teal'c, who moved on, more slowly now, following the trail. They were climbing steadily. Jack felt something moist brush his face, and saw in Teal'c's light that a mist was rising from the mulchy soil. "Your weapon, Daniel," he said softly. Daniel glanced back at him, but nodded and obediently gripped his P90. Jack had plenty of evidence that Daniel knew how and when to use it, even though it hurt Jack each time he did. What archaeologist carries a gun? he had once asked, and he still felt archaeologists shouldn't have to.

They came to the top of the hill and the climb flattened out. Teal'c turned his light so it shone straight ahead, waist high, and it sailed out unchecked by any trees for nearly a hundred yards. Jack saw that they stood in a shallow bowl of tall grasses. After a moment's hesitation, they crossed the rough spiky grass, much different than the soft stuff growing on the avenue they'd started out on. Daniel kept looking around him, as if aware of something Jack could neither hear nor see; that made Jack even more nervous.

It was fully dark now, and a dense skein of stars glittered coldly above them. Their breath puffed out in small white clouds, and Jack was chilly, wishing for a heavier jacket. He knew Daniel felt the cold more; he must be freezing by now.

They reached the other side and, without hesitation, Teal'c threaded his way through the trees. These proved to grow in just a narrow ring, though, and suddenly they were looking down and out over a broad valley.

Below them, fog drifted, catching and reflecting the starlight, rising through the trees, coiling through the branches. It was beautiful, Jack realized, and under other circumstances he might have stood there a long time, breathing in the crisp air. Tonight, though, he just wanted to find whomever they were following and move on with his life. They'd already been walking for several hours. He wanted to go home.

Teal'c looked back at Jack, and gestured to their left. Then he started down the steep climb into the valley beneath them. All their flashlights were on, now, bobbing as they climbed. Jack monitored Daniel who, although athletic and quite strong, could sometimes be awkward in his eagerness. But he was being appropriately cautious, even measured by Jack's standards. Carter was also, he saw, paying close attention to Daniel, ready to act if he should stumble.

Jack heard an enormous crash, as if something heavy had fallen a long distance, and then saw a sudden flash of light. Then more light. Not too far ahead of them. Teal'c gripped his staff weapon more firmly and began to jog, Carter following smoothly in his steps. Jack took Daniel by the arm and they trotted briskly if ungainly over the rough ground.

The mysterious lightning continued to flash, and rumblings of something large and heavy continued to reach them. Teal'c and Carter drew away from them, disappearing into the dark. Daniel began to jog after them, pulling Jack along, both of them stumbling over rocks and roots. All Jack could see were their two lights, disappearing and reappearing as they moved through the trees.

"Colonel!" he heard Carter call, and he and Daniel began to run until his knee popped horrifically when his foot twisted on something. He plunged gasping to the ground, his bad knee wrenched or torn. He clutched it in pain, whispering, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." For a moment, he thought he'd vomit from the pain exploding out of his knee; he lay sprawled on the wet grass, rocking himself. "Oh, god," he moaned, his head roaring. Daniel seized his shoulders, then knelt before him, lightly touching his leg. "It's okay," he lied, "I'm okay," and, using Daniel for leverage, he pulled himself upright so he could hobble and hop forward, leaning heavily against Daniel, each step sending what felt like an electric shock through his body.

Finally they reached Carter and Teal'c, who stood silently staring ahead of them. Jack still couldn't see anything, although he heard Daniel's sudden indrawn breath. Then there was another flash of light or lightning, he couldn't tell which, and for an instant, through his pain and confusion, he *saw*.

A man, he thought, or man-shaped and -sized, bloody and ragged, exhausted. As if out of some fairy tale, he carried an enormous sword; it looked too heavy and awkward to be practical, yet he swung it with confidence even in his exhaustion. In that heartbeat of light, Jack also saw *something* battling the man, but his mind and eyes couldn't resolve what he'd seen, and it remained just a figure to him.

"Kree!" Teal'c bellowed, and brought up his staff weapon. Still blinded by the flash of light, Jack couldn't see anything, just blue circles bobbing in front of him.

"What is it? What is it?" Daniel asked urgently, and tried to train his light on the moving figures. Starlight, Jack thought, and swayed, light-headed, half falling onto Daniel, who held him firmly; he could see starlight through whatever it was battling the swordsman. Carter's flashlight bounced off the trees in front of them, further blinding Jack, but past it and the blue he thought he saw the figures fight on.

Teal'c suddenly darted forward, surprising Jack as he often did with his speed and grace, as if a refrigerator suddenly began to dance. He heard the noise of the staff weapon and then the ball of energy flew from it, sparking and shattering. There was a cry, wordless rage, Jack interpreted it, and then Teal'c fired again. Carter had her weapon up on, the laser dancing wildly as she sought a target.

Then Daniel ran, letting Jack fall, surprising a cry out of him as he crashed to the wet ground, trying to roll so he wouldn't further injure his knee. Carter jerked her weapon up and ran after Daniel, grabbing him by the tee shirt and nearly ripping it off him as she tried to stop him. "Goddammit," he heard her whisper sharply, "Daniel, *no*." They struggled together, and Teal'c returned, pushing them, one hand firmly wrapped around Daniel's, tugging him reluctantly back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Daniel?" Carter demanded in a harsh whisper.

"Help him!" he cried, still struggling. Jack got himself upright and put his arms around Daniel, pinning Daniel's arms to his sides.

"Help me," he whispered into Daniel's ear, and instantly Daniel stopped, turning in Jack's arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he started. Carter looked at Jack over Daniel's shoulder and then let him go; she and Teal'c disappeared into the thickening fog, backlit by the strange actinic light flashing irregularly. Together they followed, Daniel half carrying Jack, who twisted in pain and irritation at the entire situation.

"There's no one here!" Carter's clear voice reached them, but he couldn't see her or Teal'c. "Colonel? Daniel?"

"O'Neill!"

"We're right here," Daniel shouted, but it was as if they couldn't hear or see them.

"Colonel?" Carter's voice called, but more distantly.

"Shit, Daniel; we've got to catch up with them."

"I know," he huffed, and Jack jerked around until he could use Daniel as a crutch for his bad leg and, like a three-legged race, they hurried on.

"Major!" Jack shouted, getting angry and scared. "Teal'c!" But they could no longer hear their teammates; nothing at all but their own gasping breaths and the drip of the fog from the forest's leaves. "Stop, stop," he finally told Daniel, who helped him onto a damp and mossy fallen log. "Christ, we're just turning in circles here. We need to do a box search."

"You need to rest," Daniel told him, kneeling before him again, gently touching his knee. "Your knee is swelling. I need to wrap it, get a cold-pack on it, and you should take an anti-inflammatory."

Jack knew he was right, but god, who had time? They needed to find Carter and Teal'c, they needed to get out of this fucking forest, they needed to go home. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and started to protest but Daniel swiftly cut his trousers up to the knee. "Hey, watch the knife," he joked. Daniel never even looked up.

Jack watched him competently wrap an ace bandage around his knee and break out a cold-pack, taping it to the swollen area. Jack thought his knee looked like a honeydew melon, it was so swollen, and now padded with the bandage and cold-pack. Daniel taped the cut trouser leg loosely closed, too, and then handed Jack two white pills and his water bottle. As he took the pills, Jack said, "Thank you, Daniel." Daniel ducked his head shyly, and sat next to Jack on the log. His body was warm and comforting in the chilly wet night.

Since Daniel was doing so well, Jack asked him, "What should we do next?"

"Wait here. I'll start a fire, if I can. We can't go wildly hunting after them, not in this terrain and with you injured."

It made good sense. Carter and Teal'c would be looking for them, and a fire would signal their presence. Of course, it would signal their presence to more than Carter and Teal'c, but that couldn't be helped. Jack sighed, pulled his jacket more tightly around him, and nodded. After a few seconds, Daniel patted his shoulder and then rose to begin gathering firewood.

Jack grew colder as he sat there on the damp log, the weather and ice-pack chilling him to the bone. He felt a little sick to his stomach and leaned over, resting his chest against his upper thighs. He couldn't believe he'd wrenched his knee like that. Of all things to do.

He was dozing a bit when Daniel touched his shoulder again, and saw a small fire, heartening in the dark. "Come on, Jack," Daniel whispered, and Jack saw he'd also set up a tent. He could barely move but let Daniel tug and shove him into the tent and wrap him in both their sleeping bags. "Where'll you be?" he muttered, dozy from all that had happened. He wondered idly what pills Daniel had given him.

"Right here, right next to you," Daniel promised, and sat down in the tent, his long legs stretched out the opening and next to the fire. He loosened Jack's and his own boots, then pulled out two protein bars from his daypack. Jack tried to refuse his, but Daniel was clearly in charge this strange evening, and he managed to get one down.

They sat in the tent, leaning against one another, watching the fire. Daniel had a small stack of wood near him; occasionally, he leaned forward and tossed in another stick or cone, and Jack smiled, remembering Daniel suggesting they eat the popped seeds. He drifted for a while, almost enjoying the silence of the forest, the tiny explosions of the seeds, the small noises of the fire, and especially the warmth of Daniel's body pressed next to his.

At last, though, he was compelled to ask, "What did you see? What happened, Daniel?"

He felt Daniel shake his head. "I don't know. I thought I saw -- I don't know, Jack. It's impossible."

"A sword. Broadsword, I think."

"Yes." Daniel turned to look at him. "I know a little bit about swords. It was a broadsword, from about twelfth century earth. But how could that be, Jack? How could such a sword and swordsman be here?"

"The Goa'uld?"

"Do you see any evidence of them?"

"Humans have been taken from earth for a long time, Daniel. You know that better than anyone."

Daniel sighed deeply. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"What, uh. What was fighting him?" But Daniel didn't answer. He turned his head away from Jack, and Jack felt a powerful shudder run through him. "I saw it, too," he whispered, unwilling to invoke whatever they'd seen.

"Not possible," Daniel murmured, and Jack remembered seeing starlight through the dark figure battling the swordsman. Like something out of a fairytale, he thought again. He put his arm around Daniel and drew him nearer, and Daniel linked his fingers through Jack's where they draped around his upper arm. It felt comforting to hold hands with Daniel on this strange world, on this strange night.

"And where did Carter and Teal'c go?" he finally let himself ask.

Daniel looked into his eyes. "Where did the swordsman go?" he asked in turn, and Jack trembled, and held Daniel tighter. "Not possible," Daniel reminded him, and this time he nodded. It wasn't possible. What they'd seen was simply not possible.

At least on earth, he thought. And they were a very long way from earth.

"Okay. I want you to fire off your Beretta, three times. If they're anywhere near, they'll hear it."

"Just up in the air?"

"Well, not directly over our heads," he said crossly. Daniel just gave him a look, unholstered, and aimed for the tops of the trees to their right, away from where Carter and Teal'c had disappeared. Jack's head was already pounding, and the three shots seemed to split the night like an axe through a fallen log. He actually put his hands over his ears, something he'd never done before.

At last his ears stopped ringing. He wiped his cold sweaty face and looked at Daniel, who was staring at him, concern written on his furrowed brow and tense mouth. "I'm okay," he said gruffly, and Daniel nodded, but Jack didn't think he believed him. He wasn't sure he believed himself.

They waited a long time, but no one and nothing ever responded to their signal. Jack had almost fallen asleep when a deep shiver roused him a bit. He realized his knee felt better, and that he was fucking freezing to death. "Can I take the cold-pack off?"

"Oh, yeah." Daniel quickly removed it, then re-taped his trouser leg, his long fingers pressing lightly into the swollen knee. "The swelling's gone down a bit," he announced with satisfaction. "We can probably make it back to the greenway tomorrow."

Jack looked up at the alien sky above them, growing paler as the fog continued to swirl around them. "I wonder how long night is on this planet?"

They fell silent then, and after a while lay back in the tent, still holding onto each other for comfort and warmth. But mostly for comfort, Jack admitted to himself, as he idly played with Daniel's hand.

Jack slept brokenly, Daniel staying awake to watch through the night, rising to refuel the fire periodically, and once to help him up to pee. The fog thickened around them; he could no longer see the stars above them or the trees around them. The milky white mist moved hypnotically and drenched their tent so each accidental touch sent rivulets streaming down its walls. At last he fell into a deeper sleep, and dreamed of a handsome man, Daniel's age and build, with long fair hair and a rough blond beard, holding an enormous sword as he strode through the forest.

When he woke, he discovered that Daniel had built up the fire again and was heating the small kettle, humming to himself. Jack lay still, listening to and watching Daniel in the morning. His hair stood up in spikes and he had sleep in his eyes, but he looked like family to Jack, he looked like home.

At last he caught sight of Jack and smiled. "Sleepy head," he teased, and Jack realized it was one of the first times he'd woken after Daniel.

"Pee, then tea," was all he said, and Daniel helped him up. His knee was very stiff and he knew he'd be back in physical therapy when they eventually got back to the SGC, but with care and Daniel's help, he could limp along without damaging it more, he thought. Not that Daniel would let him.

The fog had thickened further with the dawn and glowed whitely around them. They were in a meadow of tall grasses nodding under heavy loads of dew. He paced the circumference slowly, Daniel at his side acting as his crutch while they studied the land. His knee throbbed, and a spike of pain shot up his leg straight into his brain when he stepped too firmly on it. At this rate, it would take them a day and a half to return to the stargate.

When they'd finally returned to the tent, he said, "There's no sign of a fight here."

"I saw that."

"No sign of Carter or Teal'c."

"No. Nothing. I checked this morning. I'm not as good a tracker as you, but you have taught me some things. No footprints, no flattened grasses, no broken branches, no disturbed soil. It's as though we were just set down here last night."

Jack studied the land around them, slowly hopping in a circle, looking behind them as carefully as before them. "I hate this," he finally said, and was surprised at his vehemence.

"Yeah."

"Okay. We'll eat a bite, break down the tent, and then head back the way we came."

"Which way is that?" Daniel asked him, and of course, he didn't know.

"Instinct," he lied confidently. Daniel rolled his eyes. "Have you tried the radio?"

"Of course I have. But you try it. The kettle's ready." He helped Jack back into the tent, and soon they were eating instant oatmeal flavored with gorp and sipping Lipton's tea with lots of sugar. The radio, of course, returned only static.

Daniel broke down the tent, making Jack sit and watch him, admiring him, really, and packed away their supplies. When he was ready, he stood and waited for Jack's instructions. Jack looked up at him, a man in the prime of his life, confident, capable, competent, and felt old and foolish. "I don't know which way," he admitted, but Daniel only smiled kindly at him, and helped him up.

"Come on, Jack. Instinct, you know." As they walked, Jack tried to remember their mad scramble last night. They'd been going downhill, he remembered, and so they climbed uphill now. There'd been a thin ring of trees and then a wide meadow they'd crossed.

"I hate leaving Teal'c and Carter," he admitted softly as they climbed. Daniel nodded. "Maybe we should stay, hunt some more?"

"Jack." Daniel pulled him to a stop. "You're injured. We need to get you back to SGC and the infirmary. Then I'll come back with help. We're not leaving them behind. Do you hear me? We're not leaving them."

He stared into Daniel's earnest face, trying to think. If only his head and knee didn't hurt so much. After nearly a minute's hesitation, he nodded, and then continued on.

Periodically, they tried the radio. They came upon an outcropping of granite-like boulders; Jack was sure they hadn't passed it in the night. Daniel made Jack sit while he climbed to the top, hoping for a better view. But the fog seemed even thicker, and when he shouted, his voice echoed weakly back to them. At last he climbed back down and sat next to Jack, shaking his head.

"How is this possible?" he asked, but of course Jack had no answer.

They continued on, slowly making their way up the steep slope. Occasionally, Jack pointed out what he hoped were tracks of someone who'd come this way, but he had no way of knowing whether it had been SG-1, the swordsman, or just an animal breaking a trail. His knee loosened as they hiked and he needed to lean less on Daniel, but still they touched. Jack was a little ashamed at taking comfort in Daniel's body this way, but he was almost afraid if he let go, Daniel would disappear as completely as had Carter and Teal'c.

By mid-morning, they reached the top of the incline, and the fog was finally starting to lift. They stood looking out over the valley where, beneath them, the fog curled and swayed; looking down was like looking into a snowbank. Jack thought they should shout again for their teammates, but it was too quiet to disturb.

They turned, and entered the forest.

It was still dark, but there was no fog here. Nor was there any sign that Jack could see of anyone crashing through this way last night. They were walking blindly. He had no idea where the stargate was, where their teammates were. He had an entire planet at his disposal, and it was a world more than he wanted.

Well, at least Daniel was here, he thought. Daniel had snugged an arm around Jack's waist, just under his pack, and he relaxed into the comfort offered him. Besides, it took some of the strain off his throbbing knee.

"Are we gonna talk about last night?" Daniel asked.

"Not till we're safely back, sitting around the briefing table."

Daniel laughed. "Okay. I can wait."

"Good. 'Cause I don't wanna hear it right now. Not till we find the others." And Jack meant it. His head hurt, his stomach hurt, his knee hurt, he was tired, and he was cranky. Daniel's presence was a blessing, his sturdy and warm body a comfort in a comfortless time, and Jack wanted to focus on that pleasure, not on the inexplicable things that had happened.

They walked a long time. They never did come to the meadow that Jack remembered them crossing last night. They never saw an animal or heard a twig snap, and certainly no swordsmen awaited them. But he kept a close eye out, wondering what he was missing. He regularly tried to raise Carter and Teal'c on the radio, but always received only the white noise of nothing and no one there.

At last, Daniel insisted they sit and rest. They shared an apple Jack had in his pack, and split a protein bar. It was warming up, and when he leaned his head back, he could see blue sky above them, and warm shafts of sunlight had begun to slant down to the forest floor. Jack was unreasonably happy to see it, after their long cold night. He yawned, still tired after his restless sleep, but didn't let their break stretch on too long.

His stomach and chronometer agreed it was lunchtime when they stopped again. Daniel insisted on building another fire, and Jack was happy for its cheerful warmth and the rattle of the tea kettle signaling instant soup for lunch. "Where are we going?" Daniel asked him casually, as he spooned up re-hydrated vegetables.

After a long minute, Jack said, "I don't know."

"You taught me that when you're lost, you should sit still and wait for someone to find you."

"Yeah, I did."

"And we're not doing that because . . . "

Jack had no answer. Because he didn't feel like waiting. Because he didn't think they would be found. Because he didn't know what might find them. He shrugged. "Instinct," he said again. Daniel raised his eyebrows, but didn't contradict him.

This had already happened to a few SG teams. Teammates had gotten separated, one or two members had gotten lost. A couple times, Search and Rescue missions had had to be mounted. One man had never been found, despite a massive search for him. Jack hoped he was living a good life with a pretty wife on the planet where they'd left him, but realized he was most likely dead. Fell into a ravine and broke his neck was the most common belief. But they'd never know; there was no way to know.

And maybe Carter and Teal'c were lost now. Gone. Just gone. Missing in Action, and while on Jack's watch. It was unthinkable, unbearable.

Or he and Daniel might be the lost ones. They might be found; they might not be. They might spend the rest of their lives on this planet, eventually giving up their search for the stargate and settling down, building a home. Hoping for the Tollan or Tok'ra or Asgard to find them, but no longer expecting rescue. Imagining Carter and Teal'c had made it safely back and had spent the rest of their lives hunting for Daniel and him.

He looked at Daniel, rinsing out their mugs. He'd lived for months at a time in exotic places on earth, for a year on Abydos, had visited a hundred planets and learned a hundred new skills. Daniel would manage fine. He'd be good company, too, and Jack was sure he would never tire of Daniel's presence in his life. He could play chess and sing and take care of Jack when Jack got old. Older.

Well, that's a depressing scenario, Jack thought, and clapped his hands. "Time to buzz," he said. Daniel gave him a slow smile, as if he could read Jack's thoughts, and finished packing up. They started off again, carefully walking in a straight line from where they'd entered the forest at the top of the hill. They might have to do a box search, if they didn't stumble across the greenway eventually.

Jack's knee had stiffened again after their rest, and he could tell from its throbbing that it was swelling again. Well, you couldn't twist a knee half-way around your leg and then hike on it for miles without some kind of consequences. As the afternoon wore on, he found himself leaning more and more heavily on Daniel. Both men were silent, and Jack discovered he wasn't even watching where they were going any longer. He stopped.

"This is fucked, Daniel," he admitted, and Daniel nodded. "I know better than this." He turned, balancing on his good leg. "We have to go back, wait for Carter and Teal'c."

"No, Jack. You need to rest, let your leg recover. Let's go on until we find a place to set up camp; the trees are too thick in here. We need water, too."

"Shit, shit, shit." He stared back longingly; why had he left? What was wrong with him? Why hadn't Daniel insisted they stay? But that was unfair; he wouldn't blame Daniel for Jack's own decisions.

"I'm not thinking clearly, am I?" he murmured, and Daniel's arm tightened around him.

"You'll be okay, Jack," he promised, and by his response, Jack had his answer.   
"Come on," Daniel said, gently guiding Jack forward again. He closed his eyes for a moment, but that only made him even more aware of the pulse in his knee. Sighing, he allowed Daniel to lead him on. He had no choice; he knew he wasn't thinking clearly. And he trusted Daniel to take care of them.

His eyes kept drifting shut as they struggled on. He leaned more heavily against Daniel, who adjusted but took his weight easily, and Jack felt secure in his arms. Through half-shuttered eyelids, he surreptitiously studied Daniel, so close to him. How had their relationship happened? Thrust together years ago, an unexpected friend, a companion to Jack in this strange life they led. He loved Daniel; he'd known that for years. Now, maybe, he needed him, and not just to help him home.

"Is this what I think it is?" Daniel murmured to him, hours or days later, he could no longer tell. He discovered that his eyes were closed yet again and that he'd been focusing on his pain. He opened them and saw they were standing in the greenway, or at least a greenway. The sun was far below the trees, and a slight wind was blowing up the avenue toward them, but they were out of the forest.

"Thank god," he said, and he meant it with all his heart. "We can camp here."

"No water here," Daniel said, and Jack knew he was right. Instinct again told Jack to turn to their right, and Daniel agreed. It was a lot easier walking on the smooth grass and they made much better progress.

It was deep twilight when they came upon the churned up earth that had caught their attention two days ago. Daniel stopped to study it, leaving Jack propped against a tree as he knelt to look at the small sharp rocks circling the mud. He picked one up and handed it to Jack.

It had been worked, he could see, like some of the tools Daniel had shown him over the years: a sharp jagged edge had been chipped along one side, the other side left rounded to be used as a handle. The edge was dark with what he assumed was blood. "So the swordsman was real," he murmured, and Daniel nodded.

"And so were . . . " He didn't finish, and Jack didn't ask him to.

"Gather those stones," he said. They could use them as weapons as well as anyone else. "Water or no, we'll camp here tonight. Maybe Carter and Teal'c will find their way back here."

Daniel gave him more painkillers and insisted he sit, which he was happy to do. Everything hurt: his knee, of course, even his back and hips, probably from walking all twisted up. His head was pounding, and his stomach was still upset, too. Nerves and the pills, he figured.

He watched sleepily as Daniel started a fire near him, and carried armload after armload of fallen wood, piling it up next to Jack to feed the fire with while he then unpacked and set up the tent and rolled out their sleeping bags in it. Jack knew they were getting low on water when he didn't pull out the kettle, just set out the MREs. At last, he dropped next to Jack, pulling off his glasses to rub his face vigorously.

"What a day," was all he said, and Jack agreed whole-heartedly. What a day. And now, what a night.

He tried the radio again before and after they ate, to no avail. Daniel bullied him into the tent, and he reluctantly admitted he was tired. He left his legs outside, stretched next to the fire, soothing his aching muscles. To his surprise, Daniel pulled off his boots and began to massage his feet.

"Ah, Daniel. Don't get too close to those feet. Been in those boots a few days now." But Daniel just smiled at him, and Jack moaned with pleasure.

He sized up the situation. They were on another planet, nearly a day's walk from the stargate. He'd twisted his knee badly enough that he couldn't manage alone; he would've had to hop and crawl. They were nearly out of water. There was things out there, something hiding in the woods that had attacked another human-like creature, and the less thought about *them* the better. There was the human-like creature himself, the swordsman, and who knew how he'd react to SG-1's presence. And there was the night coming, cold and damp and miserable.

On the plus side, they had a nice fire going, and Daniel was rubbing his feet. Absurd that he felt so good right now, better than he had all day. He tossed another stick in the fire and watched it ignite and flare. Small pleasures: he had to focus on them or he'd run screaming into the night, he supposed. Well, crawl, actually.

"Daniel, you have to be exhausted. Enough already. Get in here and go to sleep."

"I thought I'd take the first watch. You sleep for a while, Jack."

Well, it did make sense. Jack's eyes had been closing for most of the afternoon, and Daniel had seen that. Daniel was a night-owl, anyway. After a brief hesitation, Jack nodded and, with Daniel's help, got settled in the tent. "Wake me," he ordered, but even to himself he sounded sleepy and not very commanding officer-like.

Daniel tucked the sleeping bag around his shoulders, smiling fondly. "I will," he promised. Jack remembered tucking in his son, being tucked in as a child, and then he fell asleep, Daniel's warm hand still on his shoulder.

The little figures returned in his dream. He still couldn't see them clearly; they seemed to flow together like water and then break apart like tumbling stones. They surrounded Daniel, who carried the broadsword, his BDUs sweatstained and bloody, his face ragged with new beard. His glasses were gone and his hair much longer in Jack's dream; he looked like a combination of when Jack had first met him and some older, stronger Daniel from years in the future.

Jack jerked awake to find Daniel sitting next to the tent, adding a small log to the fire and humming quietly to himself. The only sounds he could hear were the fire popping and Daniel's soft voice. He was himself, the Daniel whom Jack remembered: short hair, glasses sliding down his nose, but a lot dirtier. The fire reflected off his glasses and added color to his pale face. He turned his head and looked at Jack, who stared silently back. "Go back to sleep," Daniel whispered, and patted Jack's foot. Jack closed his eyes and, comforted by Daniel's presence, slept dreamlessly for a while.

He woke needing to pee; his chronometer told him he'd been asleep for over four hours this time. The fire had burned down, but still Daniel sat cross-legged before it. He was writing in one of his journals, looking around them periodically.

Jack watched him silently, observing the well-known face. He was smudged with dirt and sap and soot, his short hair matted and spikey. When he looked up, Jack saw his glasses were smeared and fingerprinted. There he sat, an unlikely comrade to Jack, his dearest friend, someone who'd broken through Jack's anguish all those years ago. "I don't want to die," he'd told Jack, and in that moment, Jack had begun to think he might not want to die, either.

Jack struggled to sit up; his knee felt enormous to him. Probably should have put another ice-pack on it, after walking all day. Daniel set down his journal and swiftly came to his side, helping him up and to the edge of the greenway, where both men peed. "Go to bed, Daniel," Jack said, his voice rough from sleep. "I'll watch for a while."

Without replying, Daniel helped him sit next to the tent, on top of a tarp Daniel had folded, to keep off the damp grass. He climbed into the tent and, if his snores were an accurate way to judge, was asleep within minutes.

Jack took a small sip of water, just enough to wash the nasty taste out of his mouth, and tried to settle down. He pulled out a cold-pack, snapped it to activate it, and draped it over his aching knee. Two more ibuprofen for the swelling, and then a stick of gum, to moisten his throat.

In other circumstances, he might have been happy to sit out under a silent sky, watching Daniel sleep. Jack could see his tousled hair and hear his even breaths, a bit hoarse from the damp air. Another foggy night; the stars were invisible above them, the ceiling only a few yards above their heads, and the tops of the trees hidden from him. It was very cold, but he'd pulled on all his clothes and sat huddled near the fire, so he wasn't entirely miserable.

Daniel sighed and turned in his sleep, one foot kicking out, and then settled down again. Jack wondered if he were dreaming Jack's dreams, now that he lay where Jack had. He hoped not. He hoped Daniel was having sweet dreams.

To Jack's chagrin, he woke with a jerk, suddenly aware that he'd fallen asleep while on his watch, something he hadn't done in two decades. He wiped his eyes, and pulled the cold-pack off his knee. The fire was nearly burned out, so he carefully added more fuel to it. Daniel was still sleeping, he could tell, snoring softly and sounding even more congested than usual.

Surely it was near morning, he thought, looking around. He was tired and hungry and thirsty, and his knee felt hot and achy. He put his hand to his forehead, closing his eyes again briefly. When he looked up, he saw their campsite was surrounded.

They were -- little. Insubstantial. But as he watched, they seemed to flow into each other, adding bulk and mass and strength. I'm dreaming, he thought. I'm still asleep. I can't believe I fucking fell asleep on my watch. K-P for a month, for that.

Then he saw Daniel, no, the swordsman, no, the swordsman was Daniel -- he couldn't tell. The fire swelled dangerously, sparks fizzing into the air, and he pulled back his legs to escape it, wincing in pain as he moved his knee. Over the flames, he saw Daniel swing that enormous broadsword, and heard him grunt with the effort. A rock flew through the air, striking Daniel in the lower back; he spun and struck out again with the sword.

Jack tried to rise to his feet, but his knee wouldn't bend. He began to crawl around the fire, the grass wet and sticky under his hands, his leg dragging behind him. He pulled his Beretta, but there was nothing to aim at, only Daniel staggering to his knees under the blows of the sharp-edged rocks, and everything was silent, silent, silent.

"Jack," Daniel said, and he jerked awake.

"Oh, god, Daniel," he cried, and put his arms around his friend's neck.

"It's okay, it's okay," Daniel whispered, and held him tightly. "It was just a dream, everything's okay."

"Jesus, that was quite a dream." He realized he was clinging to Daniel, and released him, wiping his hands on his trousers, ashamed again of taking such profound comfort in his friend's presence. "Shit, I fell asleep on my watch."

"It's okay," Daniel said again, stroking Jack's shoulder. "Nothing happened." Light was filling the sky; they'd managed to get through another night. Fog still hung in the trees lining the avenue, and the sky looked steely with clouds.

"What's this?" he asked, and fingered a tear in the back of Daniel's jacket.

Daniel twisted to look back at where Jack was touching the fabric. "I don't know. Did I catch it on something?" But Jack remembered the rock hitting him just there, slicing into his clothing and skin.

"I hate this place," he finally said. "Why can't we find Carter and Teal'c? I just want to go home." He was whining, he knew, but surely his team was used to that by now. His team; what a joke. He'd lost half of them in a dense fog, and was dreaming of the third member fighting with a medieval weapon. "What's wrong with me, Daniel?"

Daniel squatted next to him. "You're injured. You're hungry. You're tired. You're worried about your team. Let me get you home, Jack. We'll find Sam and Teal'c, I promise. I promise with all my heart," he said passionately. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Jack closed his eyes.

"Let me break down camp and we'll go," Daniel said quietly. "We should make it back to the stargate today, get you to the infirmary, and I'll come back with a search team."

Jack fucking hated the idea of returning without Carter and Teal'c, but he didn't know what else to do. He and Daniel shared another protein bar as they prepared for the day's hike. He was tired and unwashed, he needed a shower and a shave, and then a big breakfast, something hot.

He studied Daniel as he rolled up their sleeping bags. He always had a heavy beard; after two days of not shaving, his face was dark with it. He looked tired, too, with circles under his eyes, and his hair matted with sweat. He didn't smell good, either, not that Jack thought that he smelled any better. And his jacket was slit with small cuts, as if sharp-edged rocks had been thrown with deadly accuracy at him.

"Are you all right?" he asked Daniel suddenly, who looked up in surprise.

"I think so. Why?"

"Your back," he said, gesturing to the small of his own back. "Are you bruised? Sore?"

Daniel rubbed his back. "A little. I thought maybe I slept on a rock last night." Jack stared at him, unwilling to say more. "Why?" Daniel asked again.

But it was absurd. He'd been dreaming was all. He shook his head.

The clouds grew heavier, and the air richer and more moist as they struggled down the grassy avenue. Jack knew that Daniel was right; he needed to be in the infirmary with his knee. Yet he chafed with the knowledge that they were leaving Carter and Teal'c behind. It wasn't right, it wasn't something that Jack O'Neill did. He felt almost vindicated when he saw ahead of them silver sheets of rain, twisting like silk, as if he were to be punished for the desertion of his teammates. Wind pushed into their faces, ruffling Daniel's hair. "Uh-oh," he said, and waited till Jack was stable before dropping his pack and pulling out raingear. "Hurry," he told Jack, helping him drape the uncomfortable poncho over his head.

The rain struck them, like blows from small stones, Jack thought, and they staggered under its onslaught. "Shit," Daniel muttered. Water rolled off the plastic and dripped into Jack's flapping trouser leg where Daniel had cut it yesterday. No, two days ago. Hell, what did it matter; his socks were soaking and his boots soon would be.

Yet despite Jack's misery, he found the sight of the silvery curtains of rain beautiful. The wind shifted and the rain slapped them in their backs, then shifted again and flew into their faces. They walked hunched over, trying to protect themselves against it, Daniel's arms around Jack to stabilize him. The grass grew sodden and each step splashed up more water and soon mud.

"We should stop," he finally told Daniel, and pointed toward the forest. Daniel hesitated, and Jack understood why; finding this road had been hard enough that he didn't want to risk losing it again. But they'd be a bit more sheltered under the trees, and the wind would be broken instead of barreling down the arrow-straight avenue into them. At last, Daniel nodded, and they stepped carefully over the lumpy roots and clumps of saw-toothed grasses until they huddled under an especially large tree.

Jack was shivering, he realized, when Daniel slid his arms around Jack and rocked him. "Please, god, please, get us off this planet," Daniel whispered, and Jack sent a similar prayer into the laden heavens. It grew even darker, as if the sun were moving retrograde and morning slipping back into night, and then Jack heard a long, low growl of thunder.

"I should put up the tent," Daniel whispered, and they flinched at a sudden clatter, as of hailstones, and a brilliant flash of lightning that blinded Jack for a moment. He rested his head against Daniel's shoulder, wishing this fucking storm would hurry up and *go*, and then recoiled from another shocking flare of lightning instantly followed by a crash of thunder. He was trembling even harder, and Daniel shook, too, as he clutched Jack to him in the cold, wet dark.

Another clatter, and Jack suddenly realized he wasn't hearing hailstones. It was steel on stone. He raised his head and looked into Daniel's eyes. Somehow he'd lost his glasses, and his blue eyes were enormous in the darkened forest, his brow deeply furrowed, his face spattered with rain and tiny drops of mud, like pale freckles. They turned their heads toward the noise, and Jack shuddered.

It was Daniel, except of course it wasn't, Daniel was holding him tightly, his breath warm against Jack's cheek, but it looked like Daniel, another Daniel, with heavier muscles and longer hair, still bleached from the sun of Abydos. He was swinging the broadsword confidently, long slices meant to cut deeply into his opponent, an opponent Jack still could not clearly see. The little creatures, whatever they were, had melded together and rose into a dark being taller than the swordsman, but through which Jack could dimly see the trees behind them, and the flash of lightning through them. They fought with a weapon he did not recognize, a flash of light that burned his eyes; even Jack's face felt sunburned. The sword sliced through it and the creatures fell to the ground, then remolded together, rising again to become the darkness that threatened Daniel.

Jack was alone, balancing precariously on one good knee, buffeted by a cold wind and icy rain exploding into his face. Daniel fought on, slicing the broadsword powerfully then pulling back and away from the flimsy creatures that melded again into his opponent. In the irregular flash of the lightning, Jack could see the sweat pouring down Daniel's face, his hair tossed by the wind, his jaw clenched in concentration.

"No," Jack whispered, "not possible." For it wasn't, it couldn't be. Daniel was right here, wasn't he? He'd been right here. Jack reached out, falling against the crumbling rough bark of a tree and pulling himself forward, his pulse throbbing in his knee and head and ears, but pulling himself forward to Daniel. His weapon -- where was it? He pushed off the tree and collapsed against another, turning his knee enough to cry out in pain. He pressed his face against the tree trunk, the rain sluicing down, drenching him, seeping under the neckline of the poncho and into his sweat-soaked clothing. "Daniel," he whispered. Not Daniel. He couldn't lose Daniel, too.

He raised his head and watched in horror as Daniel fought off the creatures, striking them repeatedly, each slash dividing them yet never defeating them. Rain fell harder, pounding against the trees and his poncho, blurring his vision. Daniel battled on, as he always did, never surrendering, never ceding, no matter how hopeless. Jack felt his heart surge with some powerful emotion he couldn't identify as he watched his dearest friend struggle on, raising again and again the enormous sword while still the creatures multiplied and swarmed around him.

This is Daniel, he realized. He was seeing the real Daniel, the Daniel who never gave up, would never give up. The honorable and conscientious man who, against all of Jack's wishes, had entered his life and lodged in his heart.

Daniel fought on, rain and sweat smearing the blood and mud on his face and arms, gasping for breath as he sliced and clove and split the glassy creatures that rolled over and up and together again and again and again, in a ceaseless battle. This is Daniel, Jack thought again; this is his every moment of every day, a continual struggle against his fears, against Jack's fears for Daniel and himself, against the evil that the universe permits: This is resolute, faithful, steadfast Daniel, choosing again and again to fight on against impossible, invisible odds.

This is Daniel.

"Kree!" Teal'c bellowed, and his staff weapon fired, the energy flaring into sparks that scattered the creatures, dissolving them until they rose again. Daniel swung the broadsword again, cutting into them, and there was an exhalation, a soft sigh of despair Jack could barely hear over the noise of the rain, and yet they swarmed together as before. Teal'c fired again, and again they dissolved, but fewer of them reformed. Carter cried out, "Stand back!" and Jack heard her semi-automatic fire, exploding into the tree trunks before them. The swordsman pulled back, his enormous blade up and to one side, and then Teal'c fired again.

There was a long silence, broken only by the pounding rain and howling wind as it battered at Jack. It was as dark as night in the forest, and Jack could barely see a line of silver that told him where the sword was still raised. Then lightning filled the darkness and he shut his eyes, bewildered, and let Daniel's strong arms hold him safely in his exhaustion and pain.

"Sir? Sir?" Carter's anxious cry reached him. He opened his eyes to find her and Teal'c in front of them. He was still clutching Daniel tightly, shivering so hard his teeth were literally chattering.

"We have to get him home," Daniel shouted above the rain, and Jack felt Teal'c pick him up as easily as if he were a child. Daniel took his pack, and Carter carried Teal'c's staff weapon. Daniel led the way back to the greenway, walking backwards and gesturing as he shouted at Carter, who nodded regularly. The rain and wind continued fiercely, and Jack turned his face into Teal'c's sodden jacket.

"Where is Daniel?" he murmured.

"You will be well, O'Neill," Teal'c assured him, and he nodded sleepily. "Rest now." Jack thought that was a terrific idea and, comforted by Teal'c's presence, by Carter's and Daniel's voices, he let himself rest at last.

He woke briefly as they stood swaying before the stargate, Daniel bent over the DHD, and heard the wormhole engage. Carter punched in the GDO code, and they started up the ramp. "Walk," he said, and Teal'c gently set him down. Daniel took one arm and Teal'c the other, and this way they walked through the event horizon and back to the SGC.

Carter was yelling, "Medic!" when they emerged, and he was relieved to be able to sit on the ramp, Teal'c on one side of him and Daniel on the other, and wait for the gurney to arrive that would take him away to some place warm and dry and full of painkillers. Even the short walk through the gate had started his knee pounding again, and he couldn't think clearly enough to answer the medics' questions as they bundled him away.

"Daniel," was all he said, and briefly saw Daniel's dirty and exhausted face bend over him, smiling sweetly, and then he shut his eyes.

What a dream, he thought, and stretched, knocking a hand into the headboard. He opened his eyes and realized he was in the SGC infirmary, hooked up to a drip. Jesus. It was dark and quiet; unfortunately, his chronometer was missing, so he had no idea what time it was.

In a chair next to his bed, Daniel was curled, sound asleep. He sounded awful; obviously, he'd caught cold while on that planet. He snuffled and snorted even in his sleep, and Jack wondered why he wasn't in a bed, too.

He touched his friend's shoulder, and Daniel jerked awake. "It's okay," he said instantly, his voice thick with sleep and phlegm, and then smiled at Jack. "Hey. It's okay," he repeated in a hoarse whisper, and Jack smiled.

"Blow your nose."

"Yeah." He did, using lots of kleenex. "Caught cold," he said when he was through for a minute.

"No shit." They grinned at each other. "What happened?" Jack asked, and Daniel sighed.

"I don't know, Jack. It's like it was all a dream."

"You were there, weren't you? Fighting?"

"Me?"

"That swordsman we saw. Fighting those things? That was you."

Daniel stared at him, sniffing. The end of his nose was red. He couldn't have looked less like a warrior. At last he said, "I think you were dreaming, Jack."

"You didn't see a swordsman? You told me it was a broadsword, from the twelfth century, remember?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, as if remembering something from a long time ago. Jack took his hand.

"Think, Daniel. It's important. We saw a man, fighting. He carried a big sword. You told me it was a broadsword."

Daniel shook his head very slightly. "It's like a dream," he whispered. "Like a dream."

"Not a dream. Don't forget. It's important. Important to me."

Daniel leaned against the bed and put his other hand on top of Jack's, so he cupped Jack's hand between his. "I remember you getting hurt," he said softly. "I was so worried for you. I didn't know if I could get you home."

"You did a great job, and you found Carter and Teal'c."

Daniel grimaced. "Well, they found us."

"Whatever." Jack squeezed the hands holding his own. "We're home, all of us. And that guy is safe."

"Yeah." Daniel smiled at Jack. "Teal'c and Sam saved him."

"He was you, I think."

"Go to sleep, Jack. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Where were they? Where were Teal'c and Carter?"

Daniel looked away, a frown marring his forehead. He sighed. "Well, Teal'c said they were right there. That they looked for us and, when they couldn't find us, set up camp." He looked at Jack. "How could that be? How could we miss them? How could they not see our fire, not hear my gun?"

Jack felt too exhausted to figure that out. "I don't know. I don't know."

After a while, Daniel said again, "Go to sleep, Jack." Jack closed his eyes and felt Daniel's hand stroke his forehead and heard him sniffing again.

"Blow your nose," he mumbled, and Daniel laughed.

When he woke next, Dr. Frasier was bending over him, reading a monitor above his head. "Morning, Doc," he said cheerfully.

"Afternoon," she corrected, but smiled at him. "Welcome back, Colonel. It's good to see you again."

"Always a pleasure to see you," he lied gallantly. "How am I?"

"Well, you're off active duty for a while, until your knee heals. Which will take as long as it does and not a minute less," she spoke over his objections. "I'm sure you already know you'll be seeing Angel in PT again." He rolled his eyes; Angel couldn't be less like an angel. "But your team is safe, although Daniel has a nasty cold and Sam is coming down with one. Junior seems to be keeping Teal'c healthy as usual."

"I feel fine."

"Of course you do. You're on demerol."

"Oh." No wonder he felt so relaxed and happy. "Where's Daniel now?"

"In bed, where he belongs, so leave him alone. You can play by yourself for a while."

"Doctor Frasier!"

She refused to blush; just gave him a stern look. "I'll have a tray brought to you. And keep drinking fluids; you got dehydrated while you were gone."

"Yes, ma'am."

She smiled at him and patted his hand, then left him, alone and bored.

"Hey." He risked rolling onto his other side, but the demerol was working and his knee felt fine. Daniel stood there, bleary eyed and snotty nosed, smiling at him.

"You're supposed to be in bed."

"I was. I will be. Just heard your voice and wanted to say hello." Jack smiled at him and then, surprising himself, held out his hand. "Germs," Daniel warned, but Jack spread his fingers invitingly, and Daniel stepped nearer to take his hand. He felt a little feverish, but very good.

"Thank you," Jack said simply, and Daniel blushed a brilliant red. "You did a great job. I'll make sure General Hammond knows, and there'll be a note in your personnel file."

"Thank you, Jack, but you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do, Daniel. You were great. Kept your head, kept me safe, got us out of there. I couldn't ask for a better teammate. Friend." Daniel turned even redder, which tickled Jack. Impulsively, he added, "I don't thank you enough. I'm really glad you joined SG-1, Daniel. I'm really glad you're here." To Jack's horror, Daniel's eyes filled with tears, and he tugged at Jack's hand, but Jack hung on. "What? What?" he asked, and struggled to sit up. "Jesus, Daniel. Come here."

He reeled Daniel in, scooting over so he could sit next to Jack, and put his arms around Daniel's body, so familiar to him after all these years. "Thank you, Jack," Daniel whispered, his voice trembling. Jack was ashamed that his praise could mean so much to Daniel.

He remembered Daniel holding him in the night, in the cold, in the rain, in their fear. So young and strong, stronger than the storm they'd lived through, than the terrible things they'd seen. "Shit," he murmured, almost to himself. What had he seen? Had Daniel been fighting that creature? He looked at Daniel: unshaven, his nose chapped and red and damp, looking worriedly at Jack. He knew what he'd seen, even if he didn't know what had happened.

This is Daniel, he thought, staring at his friend. Holding him, caring for him, fearing for his safety. Working so hard to take care of Jack. And now near tears, because of a few kind words from Jack.

That was so fucked.

They sat for a minute or two longer in the dim light of the infirmary. Jack let himself relax against Daniel's warm body; a bit feverish, he thought, putting a hand to Daniel's forehead and receiving a glare for his effort. He stared into Daniel's familiar face, so near his, leaving his hand on Daniel's forehead. Daniel stared back, and Jack suddenly recognized what he was feeling.

"I love you," Jack said in surprise. "Daniel. I love you. Did you know that?"

Daniel smiled tenderly. "Well, I thought maybe," he said, and sniffed sloppily. "I need a kleenex." Jack released him enough to lean across to the rolling table and grab the box of tissues. He waited while Daniel blew and blew, thinking he was definitely going to catch this fucker of a cold. When Daniel finally wiped his nose and eyes, Jack put his arms around him again.

"Okay, this isn't the place," he said quietly. "But, Jesus, Danny. I love you. I'm an asshole, I know, for not figuring it out before, but I really didn't know."

"I definitely knew that," Daniel said primly, and Jack was torn between kissing him and smacking him. He was too messy to kiss, and Jack didn't really want to smack him, so he hugged him tightly, resting his head against Daniel's shoulder.

"When we get out of here, we need to have a long talk. Some place really private."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed happily.

Jack looked around the infirmary. They were mostly behind closed drapes; out of one corner, he could see other hospital beds, all empty. There didn't appear to be any cameras on them. He gently kissed Daniel's cheek, and then sat back to watch with pleasure as Daniel suffused with color again, almost magenta, he thought. "More later," he said airily, as if he kissed his best friend regularly.

"I should hope so," Daniel surprised him by saying, and then, also looking around surreptitiously, bent over and kissed Jack, right on the lips, a quick dry kiss, probably shedding millions of cold viruses, but Jack didn't care. He smiled.

"Go back to bed," he ordered. "Get well. Then we'll figure out what's next."

"Okay." They stared at each other, and Jack knew he wore a goofy smile. Then Daniel patted his hand and rose, disappearing behind a curtain, and Jack lay back down, ready for another nap.

When he woke up, a nurse was there, to take his temperature and blood pressure, and leave him a pair of crutches. He lay in bed eyeing them, and thought of places he could take Daniel for their talk.

It was going to be a long talk, he decided. A long talk, taking place mostly in a big bed, with room service and a do-not-disturb tag hung on the door. They both were overdue to take time off; his whole team was, but right now, he only wanted to be with Daniel. Some place really nice, really quiet. With a big bath tub, or maybe a jacuzzi, where he could soak his knee and ogle Daniel while they talked.

And what a talk it would be. A talk like Jack O'Neill had never had before, he admitted to himself. Maybe it's the demerol, he wondered. Like the time he'd been given morphine and talked to God; maybe the demerol was making him want to talk to Daniel. Except he knew he'd wanted to talk to Daniel for years, forever. Having Daniel take care of him had somehow freed Jack to admit to himself that he wanted to talk. He wanted Daniel to listen, eyes wide and fascinated, as Jack unburdened himself of years and years of his feelings for Daniel.

He smiled as he fell asleep, dreaming of Daniel fighting for him with an enormous broadsword, of Daniel caring for him, because that's who Daniel was, that was Daniel. He fell asleep dreaming of Daniel.


End file.
